The
Newport-Inglewood fault, beginning just off the Orange County coast and
extending 50 miles northwest through Long Beach, Inglewood and into
Beverly Hills, has been the subject of dire quake scenarios because it
runs directly under some of the most densely populated areas of Southern
California.

The Long Beach quake was a magnitude 6.3 temblor centered off
the Orange County coast that killed 115 people, mainly in Long Beach and
Compton. That was the second-largest number of fatalities in a
California earthquake in recorded history. Damage to school buildings
from that quake led to major steps toward earthquake-resistant
construction in the state.

A state study found that a quake along
the Newport-Inglewood fault could block the 101 Freeway at the
Hollywood and Sunset boulevard over-crossings, reduce the capacity of Los Angeles International Airport to 30% of normal for two days, remove for an indefinite period 34% of
the hospital beds in Los Angeles and Orange counties, shut down five power
plants for three days and contaminate water supplies.

A scenario
simulating a 6.6 earthquake on the Santa Monica fault estimated that
54,000 buildings could be damaged, including 85 beyond repair. Under the
scenario, a quake on the fault could kill as many as 30 people and
force the hospitalization of more than 200 people.

The earthquakes that hit this
week -- a magnitude 3.2 on Monday, centered near Doheny Drive and Wilshire
Boulevard, and a 3.4 after midnight Friday, centered near Wilshire
Boulevard and Beverly Drive -- were shallow.

Both
quakes were felt over a wide area because they run through heavily
populated sections of Los Angeles County. There were no reports of major
damage.

In 2009, a 4.7 earthquake centered near Inglewood shattered some windows and caused ceiling tiles to fall in a movie theater.

The
Beverly Hills temblors came the same week as a magnitude 7.6 earthquake
in Costa Rica, but officials said they see no connection.

Although it might seem as though Southern California is feeling more quakes
these days -- including a swarm of temblors in Imperial County and
several quakes in Yorba Linda -- officials said it's really not unusual.

"We
have several of these things every week in California, but usually
they're out somewhere where they don't get this kind of attention,"
Given said. He said that the Beverly Hills quake attracted significant
attention because it hit underneath a heavily populated area.